benretriever Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Hi all, My two 14 month old golden retrievers are very easily distracted by ducks and won't return from a swim when called if they see one. I had them swimming with us in the shallows of the Murray river on the weekend and much to my distress they took off halfway across the river after a duck. The duck eventually flew away (thankfully) and only then did they finally decided to return to the bank for a rest. They are fairly competent swimmers now, but really only just started serious swimming in the past month. Does anyone have recall training methods specifically for swimming? We have used small pieces of chicken necks that they love and getting them to swim for short periods before returning for a treat, and this works for about 5-10 minutes before the water and the ducks are more interesting. Recalls are then just ignored. Do any golden retriever owners have a feeling for how long and far they can swim before getting into trouble?? Thanks Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigsaw Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Get yourself a duck!!! Putting them on a long line so you can reel them in?? You'll have to find something that is more interesting than the ducks to bring them back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 Basically- their recall has to be 110%!!practice and practice and practice..... Instinct has kicked in... they are doing what they were bred for- now humans have to override that- and install an everytime recall switch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 My dog also likes ducks and hence he is always on a long line when in the water. Means I get a bit wetter than I would like, but much better than him swimming to China Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 (edited) Are e-collars waterproof? If so, I would think they would be great for this situation. I spent awhile on a Chessapeake Bay Retriever discussion group and there was consensus that e-collar was the way to go for distance recall, especially where the dog was in pursuit. corrected typo Edited January 29, 2009 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulp Posted January 27, 2009 Share Posted January 27, 2009 The second time I took my dog (GR X Lab) to Belgrave Park lake he virtually circumnavigated the lake chasing ducks, as each took off he shifted his focus onto the next. I had the same concern, that he would run out of energy before common sense kicked back in but he got back OK. A dog that is a good swimmer can go a long way before he gets in trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laeral Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Are e-collars waterproof? Yes. I used one to train my dog from chasing ducks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lablover Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Ben having two same age dogs (are they litter mates?), can cause problems. Individual control and training are important. Camping on the Murray is lovely, something my crew enjoyed 2 weeks ago. I certainly enjoyed swimming also, on those hot windy days. Your dogs have learnt to ignore, back to basics quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benretriever Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Yes they are litter mates! And yes we now know that we should have only gotten one at a time, but wouldn't give one up now! Agreed, need to get back to basic recall one dog at a time... Cheers Ben Ben having two same age dogs (are they litter mates?), can cause problems. Individual control and training are important. Camping on the Murray is lovely, something my crew enjoyed 2 weeks ago. I certainly enjoyed swimming also, on those hot windy days. Your dogs have learnt to ignore, back to basics quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lablover Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Yes they are litter mates! And yes we now know that we should have only gotten one at a time, but wouldn't give one up now! Agreed, need to get back to basic recall one dog at a time... Cheers Ben Ben, I kept 3 from a litter. Mind you placed one at 2 years of age. Training three litter mate separately nearly killed me. HA!!!!! At one stage another litter mate was returned to me as being too hyperactive. Placed her well - she has won the Australian national retrieving championship twice so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now